UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
Environment Info. Systems (EIS) NEWS- 6/93

Environment Info. Systems (EIS) NEWS- 6/93

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x                       Volume No. 6 July 1993                        x
x           The Environment Information Systems (EIS) NEWS            x
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x                            published by                             x
x               The Program on EIS in Sub-Saharan Africa              x
x       Environmentally Sustainable Development Division (AFTES)      x
x                           The WORLD BANK                            x
x            Koffi Kouakou, AFTES, (kkouakou@worldbank.org)           x
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This newsletter is published by the Program on Environmental Information System (EIS) in Sub-Saharan Africa. The EIS Program Secretariat is hosted in the Environmentally Sustainable Development Division (AFTES) of the Africa Technical Department in the World Bank.

Views expressed in this newsletter are those of the EIS Program Secretariat and contributors. They should not be attributed to the World Bank. For further information contact: Koffi Kouakou, EIS Program Secretariat, Africa Region, AFTES - Room J 3-169, The World Bank, 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433 -USA Tel. 1-202-473-4332 -.- Fax. 1-202-473-7916; e-mail: kkouakou@worldbank.org

COUNTRY NEWS

BOSTWANA:

The Botswana Government, which is committed to conservation and sustainable development, has initiated work by public and private groups on a National Conservation Strategy (NCS). The establishment of a GIS to analyze environmental problems is conducted based on an institutional framework, GIS applications, and strong training and research components. An informal GIS Users' Group, composed of NGOs, university users,the private sector, and government users, has been active since 1990. The work is coordinated by the Department of Town and Regional Planning in the Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing. Contact: Mr. Richard Segodi, Deputy Director, Department of Town and Regional Planning, Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing, P/Bag 0042, Gaborone, Botswana; tel:(267) 31.354.294 or (267) 31.303.430; fax: (267) 31.365.015.

The Government of Botswana, with the assistance from Associates in Rural Development, Inc.(ARD), a US private voluntary organization based in Burlington, Vermont, is assisting the potential of a country-wide GIS program within the country. Anticipated use of GIS range from urban administration to natural resource management and planning. Major outputs of the GIS assessment will include (1) standards for data capture, accuracy, storage, structuring, and transfer between different systems, (2) recommendations for GIS hardware and software appropriate to the participating departments needs; (3) recommend for initial and continued staff training, and (4) recommendations on institutional arrangements which will promote data sharing and interdepartmental cooperation on projects. Contact: M. K. Stephenson, Dept. of Surveys and Lands, Private Bag 0037, Gaborone, Botswana; tel: (267) 353251; fax: (267) 352704.

BURKINA FASO:

A national seminar was held in Ouagadougou, August 24-26, 1992, on the state of, and prospects for, the fight against desertification in Burkina. It was held in preparation for a donors' meeting on funding for the National Environment Action Plan. The National Program for the Management of Environmental Information, which forms part of the Plan, was discussed in detail. Equipment is now being installed in the Processing Unit of the Geographic Institute. For proceedings, Contact: Mr. Prosper Sawadogo, Secretaire Permanent du Plan d'Action National pour l'Environnement (PANE), 03 BP 7044 Ouagadougou; tel: (226) 31.31.66

COTE D'IVOIRE:

CNTIG - A National Committee for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information, or Comite National de Teledetection et d'Informations Geographiques, (CNTIG) has been set up under the auspices of the Prime Minister's office. A Scientific Commission and twelve Thematic Commissions have been created and cover the following applications: agriculture, forestry, environment, geology and natural resources, climatology, data processing, training, telecommunications, finance, water, topographic mapping, and urban planning. Work is under way to produce base maps at 1:50,000 and 1:200,000 for land use management and forest assessment. Dr. Mamadou Fofana, previously Director of the Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Centre of the DCGTx is Secretary General of the CNTIG. Dr. Fofana is a member of the EIS Program's International Advisory Committee. Contact: Dr. Mamadou Fofana, Secretaire General du Comite National de Teledetection et d'Informations Geographiques, B.P. V. 324 Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire; tel: (225) 22.25.32 or fax: (225) 22.35.30 e-mail: fofana@cntig.orstom.fr

GHANA:

The Government of Ghana's Department of Game and Wildlife is developing an internal GIS capacity. Conservation International (CI) is providing GIS training for a newly hired park planner from the DG&W. The goal is to develop the capacity within the Department to use GIS for planning and analysis of the nation's protected area system. Training activities will cover the use of CISIG, Conservation International's own GIS, and the development of a database of Kakum National Park, the adjacent Assin Attandaso Game Production Reserve, and the surrounding lands. The database will provide the basis for the design of park infrastructure and will support the development of a management plan that integrates data from natural resources surveys currently being carried out with the needs of local communities and tourists. The project is part of a larger program, financed by USAID, for the development of an international tourism industry in Ghana based on beaches, historic castles along the coast, and the new national park at Kakum. Contact: Charles Hutchinson, Conservation Information, GIS, Department of Science and Technology (Africa & Asia), Conservation International, 1015 18th Street, N.W., Suite 1000, Washington, D.C. 20036, USA; tel: (1)-202-429-5660; fax: (1)-202-887-5188.

GUINEA-BISSAU:

The Government of Guinea-Bissau is considering the establishment of a new national geographic and cadastral institute (NGCI) to support the land-use and land tenure components of the Natural Resources Management project as well as providing up-to-date environment information to support the development and implementation of the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP). NGCI will replace the Topographical and Cadastre Directorate which is under the Ministry of Public Works, Construction and Urbanization. Contact: Dr. Hassan Hassan, ENVLW, Room S 5-131, Environment Division, The World Bank, 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433; tel: (1)- 202-473-1376; fax: (1)- 202-477-0568.

LESOTHO:

The Range Management Division (RMD) of the Department of Livestock Services operates a GIS for the collection and analysis of data useful to developing grazing management plans, adjudicating grazing rights, and monitoring and evaluation. As part of the USAID/Lesotho Community Natural Resources Management Project (CNRM), RMD was able to assess its hardware and software capability and user needs, install PC ARC/INFO and train resident staff in its use, design a database structure, develop and test a method for converting existing GIS data to ARC/INFO format. To insure the viability of the GIS effort, intermediate and long-term training programs for RMD staff have been proposed as well as recommended hardware/software configurations that will meet RMD's future needs. RMD was assisted in this assessment by Associate in Rural Development, Inc. (ARD), the contractor for the CNRM Project. Contact: Bore Motsamai, Chief Range Management Officer, Range Management Division, Agriculture Ministry, Maseru, Lesotho; or Dr. Gary Lewis, Chief Development Officer, USAID/Lesotho, P.O. Box 333, Maseru, Lesotho; tel: (266) 313954, fax: (266) 310284 or Dr. Scott McCormick, Project Manager, ARD, P.O. Box 1397, Burlington, Vermont, U.S.A. 05402; tel: (1)-802-658-3890, fax: (1)-802-658-4247.

SIERRA LEONE:

The Government of Sierra Leone is completing a review of the natural resource and environmental information in the country. The review is intended to provide a framework for discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the available information. The review is collected along sectoral lines, such as land tenure and cadastre, landuse surveys, land and soil information, topographic information, water resources information, coastal and marine information, agricultural and forest surveys and inventories, livestock and wildlife information, urban and industrial environment, meteorological information, demographic information and institutional capacity. Contact: Dr. Hassan Hassan, ENVLW, Room S 5- 131, Environment Division, The World Bank, 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433; tel: (202) 473-1376; fax: (202) 477-0568.

EIS ADVISORY COMMITTE NEWS

* The Nairobi meeting: the fifth meeting of the EIS Program Committee was held in Nairobi, Kenya, November 9-13, 1992. The Committee reviewed the progress of the program, outlined directions for the future and planned the next steps. The meeting was intended to promote environment information systems in Africa. The agenda focussed on the presentation of country cases, the implications of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, and links with National Environment Action Plan work. The meeting was attended by 46 participants from Africa, USA, and Europe. Copies of the meeting are available from the Program Secretariat.

* Professor Abdoulaye Sawadogo, Network for the Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa (NESDA) Coordinator, and Ms. Charlotte OBrien, formerly of the Program Secretariat, were invited to join the Advisory Committee. Both were pleased to accept. Professor Sawadogo is a natural resources management and remote sensing specialist and former Minister of Agriculture of Cote d'Ivoire. Ms. Charlotte OBrien is a remote sensing specialist who has been working on environment information issues for seven years.

* Prof. Gotfried Konecny, Chairman of the EIS International Advisory Committee, attended the UN Secretariat Triennial 5th United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas at UN Headquarters in New York, January 11-15, 1993. Delegates from 26 countries and 7 NGOs attended. From Africa, Algeria, Libya and Malawi were represented. Even though the meeting concentrated on issues of the Americas, many were relevant to other regions of the world. The current state of technology was reviewed by three committees:

* Committee 1 dealt with satellite geodesy, remote sensing, topography, surveying and mapping, hydrographic and cadastral surveys. Committee 2 dealt with automatic cartography and geographic information systems. The US has reported on the availability of the Digital Chart of the World 1:1 million, based on the geometry of aeronautical charts (the USGS is the sales agent for the product on CD-ROM). This chart can serve as a basis of regional geographic information systems. Committee 3 examined small scale mapping such as new national atlases. One of the resolutions passed at the Conference was for the UN Secretariat to cooperate with the Advisory Committee on Environmental Information Systems for Sub-Saharan Africa to the World Bank.

* The EIS International Advisory Committee held a Sub-Committee meeting in Enschede, The Netherlands, April 21, 1993, in conjunction with the ITC International Symposium on "Operationalization of Remote Sensing", April 19-23, 1993. Eight of the twelve Committee members, non- Committee members and invitees from the OSS/UNITAR were present. The aim of the meeting was to review, strengthen, and stimulate the development of EIS in Sub-Saharan Africa. The main topics covered were the review of on-going EIS activities in Sub-Saharan Africa, the production of a new publication series, the summary of the new organization of the World Bank structure especially at the Environmentally Sustainable Development division (AFTES) in relation to EIS, the link with other initiatives and organizations, the GEF fund update, the interface with commercial and semi- commercial EIS activities.

* Francois Falloux, Responsible for the EIS Program in the World Bank has been confirmed as Senior Environmental Adviser to the Environmentally Sustainable Development Division (AFTES) in the Africa Technical Department. His new duties will include: (a) advise Vice- Presidents and the Director of Technical Department the World Bank Africa Region on environmental issues; (b) coordinate environment activities; (c) animate the African environmental networks; (d) be the Environmental spokesman of the World Bank Africa Region.

* Ms. Charlotte OBrien, formerly administrator of the EIS Program Secretariat, has been nominated with distinction as a new member of the EIS International Advisory Committee. Ms. Charlotte OBrien now works as a consultant with Trade Development Institute (TDI) Group of Ireland Limited in Dublin, Ireland. She left the EIS Program Secretariat after a busy two-plus years in December 1992. She has been replaced by Koffi M. Kouakou. Thanks are due to Charlotte for her enthusiastic contribution to the Program. She will be greatly missed.

* Ms. Charlotte has asked us to let you know how much she enjoyed working with the Program and meeting many of you. She will be staying in touch, as a member of the Advisory Committee. She is happy to be back in Dublin, after eight years away, and to have found an interesting and relevant job running Environment Development Consultants Ltd. Contact: Ms. Charlotte OBrien, EDC Ltd, TDI Group, 48 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2, Ireland; phone: (353) 1-6-611903; fax: (353) 1-6-614991; telex: 91550 TDI EI; e-mail: briena93@irlearn.ucd.ie

* Mr. Koffi M. Kouakou has replaced Ms. Charlotte OBrien at the EIS Program Secretariat, and is the new EIS Program administrator. Mr. Kouakou, from Cote d'Ivoire, is a geographer trained at the Universite Nationale de Cote d'Ivoire, where he studied with Professor Abdoulaye Sawadogo. He has two Masters degrees, in natural resources and environment, and in information communication sciences from Ball State University, Indiana, USA. He comes to the EIS Program from the PVO- NGO/Natural Resources Management Support for Sub-Saharan African countries, a USAID-funded project where he was Program Associate.

OF INTEREST

African Fellowships: USAID has established an African Fellowship Program which is funded under its Policy, Analysis, Research, and Technical Support (PARTS) Project. It supports African participation in research and analysis on African issues being conducted by US-based organizations, and fosters links between US and African scientists and decision makers inn order to address development issues. Research themes include natural resource management and the use of environmental information. Contact: Carl Lawhead, Project Officer, USAID, Africa Bureau, ARTS/FARA Room 2744 NS, Washington D.C. 20523; Phone: 202- 647- 5902; Fax (202) 736-7130.

UNITAR: As part of its environmental programme, the UN Institute for Training and Research offers GIS training. Former trainees include Anna Maembe, Environmental Education Officer, National Environmental Management Council, Dar-Es-Salaam, and Joyce Maphayane, from the Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing, Gaborone, who is now largely responsible for establish a national GIS network in Botswana. Ms. Maembe and Ms. Maphayane have helped spread the word about the value of GIS as a tool for environmental management by contributing to workshops on behalf of UNITAR. Contact: Mr. Stephen Gold, GIS Program Officer, UNITAR, Palais des Nations, CH-1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland; Phone (41)-22-798-5850 ext. 257; Fax 733-1383.

Centres for Space Science and Technology Education in Africa: The UN is in the process of establishing Centres for Space Science and Technology and Technology in Africa. These Centres will focus on education, research and applications programme in remote sensing technology and satellite meteorology as part of the tools for environmental monitoring and natural resources management. The Centres will be housed in existing national and academic or research institutions. An evaluation mission to the potential host countries (Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe) and institutions of the Centres to be established has been completed. For more information, Contact: Adigun Ade Abiodun, Expert on Space Applications, Room S-3260A, United Nations, New York, NY 10017, USA; Phone: (1) 212- 963-7255; fax: (1) 212-963-4879; telex: 420544.

DATEX, Inc.: The Environment and Natural Resources Center (ENRIC) recently obtained the CD-ROM version of the Digital Chart of the World (DCW) in anticipation of its use as a base map for plotting sustainable development project activities. ENRIC staff have been testing the DCW. Results show variable accuracy. The size of the DCW files and the software solutions to their management seem to exceed the capabilities of a state-of-the-art PC configuration. ENRIC is funded by USAID and was established to track and report on AID's 250-project environment portfolio. GIS will be one of the tools for tracking and reporting project activities. ENRIC is installing PC-ARC/INFO for this purpose in addition to ATLAS PRO, presently used in conjunction with Harvard Graphics for map illustrations. Contact: Peter Freeman, Director, ENRIC, 619 Upland Place, Alexandria, VA 22301; Phone (703) 812-5000; fax: (703) 812-5010; e-mail: 5693711@mcimail.com

Digital Chart of the World: the DCW is a comprehensive 1:1,000,000 scale vector base map of the world. It consists of cartographic, attribute and textual data stored on compact disc read-only memory (CD- ROM) with software that permits the database to be accessed, queried and displayed on personal computers. The primary source for the database is the US's Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) Operational Navigation Chart (ONC) series. This is the largest scale unclassified map series in existence that provides consistent, continuous global coverage of essential base map features. Price: US$200 per package. Contact: US Geological Survey Open-File Section, Box 25286, Denver, Colorado 80225, USA; phone 303- 2367476. For information on associated African data sets on elephant distributions, national parks, habitats, FAO soil data, and on DCW training information in preparation, contact Charles Convis, ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute), 380 New York St., Redlands, California 92373, USA; phone (714) 7932853, fax (714) 7935953, e-mail: cconvis@esri.com

Pathfinder: is a large NASA project aiming to map tropical deforestation in Central America, Southeast Asia and the Amazon Basin, which hold 75% of the world's tropical forests. Landsat MSS and TM data are being used. There are plans to extend the work to Africa. Contact: Dr. William T. Lawrence, Associate Research Scientist, Department of Geography, Room 1166J Lefrak Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-8225; tel: (1) 301-405-6809; fax: (1) 301-314-9299; e- mail: wlawrence@geog4.umd.edu

Swedish Space Corporation: provides information sheets on the use of satellite imagery for natural resource studies, with examples from Africa. Contact: Bjorn Ohlson, Satellitbild, the Swedish Space Corporation, P.O. Box 4207, S-171 04 Solna, Sweden; Phone (46)-8-627- 6450; Fax 8-984- 975.

* INFOTERRA is a UNEP programme. Established in 1975, this scientific and technical information exchange network is one of the largest environmental information supply systems in the world. It is a decentralized information system operating through a worldwide network of national institutions designated by their governments as INFOTERRA focal points. Originally a referral system, there is increasing emphasis on substantive information provision. More than 15,000 queries are handled a year, contributing to better decision making and environmental protection. The focal points compile "Who's Who" of environmental expertise in their country, and select sources for inclusion on the INFOTERRA directories. INFOTERRA has been especially active in the SADCC countries where a regional environmental exchange network has been established. The network has developed a common bibliographic cataloging system, document exchange and dissemination mechanisms and a quarterly newsletter. The development of national inventories of environmental information is in progress. Contact: Dr. Linda Spencer, Acting Director, INFOTERRA/PAC, UNEP, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya; phone: (254-2) 23 08 00 or (254-2) 52 06 00, fax: (254) 2-22 69 49 or (254) 2-22 68 90, telex No.: 22068, cables: UNITERRA Nairobi; Or Mrs. Emma McNamara, INFOTERRA NFP Manager, US Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, S.W. (PM- 211D), Washington, D.C. 20460; tel: (1) 202-260-1522; fax: (1) 202-260- 3923; e-mail: library.infoterra@epamail.epa.gov.

* NRICG: the Natural Resource Information Consultative Group (NRICG) was set up this spring 1992 by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in collaboration with USAID's Africa Bureau, to provide advice to USAID on the use of environmental information technologies, and to prepare materials on the technologies for policy makers and resource managers in Africa. The NRICG has held several meetings with representatives from WRI, USAID, UNSO, OSS, World Bank, UNEP/GEMS, NASA, Clark University Idrisi Project, University of Arizona, US Forest Service, and individual experts. Priorities for 1993-94 are: establishment of a regional technical extension service; preparation of a catalogue of training opportunities for Africans; conduct a workshop on combining socio- economic and bio-physical data in a GIS; and prepare a GIS handbook. Contact: Jake Brunner, Associate, WRI, 1709 New York Ave. NW, Washington DC 20006, USA; phone (202) 662-2553; fax (202) 638-0036, e-mail: jakeb+ahobbes%world_resources@mcimail.com.

* Matrix of EIS activities in Sub-Saharan Africa: the UN Sudano- Sahelian Office (UNSO) is assisting with the development of EIS. A tabulated version of current or proposed country activities has been prepared with the organizations involved, and the follow-up required. Contact: Mrs. Maxine Olson, Chief, Programme Operations Division, UNSO, One UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA; phone (212 906-6390, fax (212) 906-6345; e-mail: maxine.olson@undp.org.

* RECTAS: the Regional Centre for Training in Aerospace Surveys is an inter-governmental organization to conduct short and long term training, research, workshops and consultancy services in aerospace surveys, covering topics such as photogrammetry, remote sensing, photo- interpretation and cartography for a variety of applications, including natural resources. African states which are not yet participating members of RECTAS are being actively encouraged to join. Contact: Dr. J.A. Ogunlami, Director, RECTAS, P.M.B. 5545, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; phone (234)-36-230050/225, telex 34262 RECTAS NG.

TRAINING

GHANA: Ghana's department of Game and Wildlife is developing an internal GIS capacity. Conservation International is providing GIS training for newly hired park planner from the DG&W. The goal is to develop the capacity within the department to use GIS for planning and analysis of the nation's protected area system. The training will cover the use of CISIG, Conservation International's own GIS, and the development of data base of Kakum National Park, the adjacent Assin Attandaso Game Production Reserve and the surrounding lands. The project is part of a larger program, financed by USAID, for the development of an international tourism industry in Ghana based on beaches, historic seaside castles, and the new national park at Kakum. Contact: Charles Hutchinson, Conservation Information, GIS, Department of Science and Technology (Africa & Asia), Conservation International, 1015 18th Street, N.W., Suite 1000, Washington, D.C. 20036, USA; tel: (2020) 429- 5660; fax: (202) 887-5188.

PUBLICATIONS:

"A Survey of Geographic Information Systems and Image Processing Software 1991", GRID Information Series no. 18. In many developing countries, those interested in using GIS and IP lack the basic information needed to make decisions when it comes to purchasing software. This survey is a compilation of general and technical information from vendors about systems available on the market. It makes no attempt to evaluate them. Interested readers can use it to contact vendors for further details. Contact: Dr. Noberto Fernandez, Facility Manager, UNEP GRID-Nairobi, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya; phone (254)-2- 230800 ex. 4185, fax 226491, telex 22068 UNEP KE.

GRID digital data catalogues have been updated and are available from GRID-Geneva and GRID-Nairobi, in print or on diskette. They will also be included in a GRID-wide catalogue covering the data held in all the GRID centers. A list of papers and publications available through GRID can be obtained from any GRID center. Contact: Dr. Noberto Fernandez, Facility Manager, UNEP GRID-Nairobi, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya; phone (254) 2- 230800 ex. 4185, fax 226491, telex 22068 UNEP KE, or Ole Hebin, Facility Manager, GRID- Geneva, 6 rue de la Gabelle, Carouge, CH-1227, Geneva; phone (41)-22-438660, fax 22-438862, telex 422227 GRID-CH. Bitnet: hebin@cgegrd11.bitnet Dialcom 41:UNE060.

"Natural Resource and Environmental Information for Decision-Making" is the title of a World Bank Technical Paper due to be published mid- November 1992. The goal is to help project managers, in the Bank and in developing countries, make better use of such information, and select the appropriate tools to gather, manage and exploit it. Contact: Mr. Hassan Hassan, Senior Environmental Specialist, the Environment Department, World Bank, 1818 H St. NW, Washington DC 20433, USA; phone 202-4731376, fax 202-4770568.

"GIS: Better Tools for local decision making" is the title of a special section in the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Magazine "Reports" (Vol. 20., No.4, January 1993), pp 4-15. The section consists of six articles ranging from the practical use of GIS in information for decision making, land use practices in Nepal, averting flood in China, finding ground water sites in Cote d'Ivoire, to training and planning issues in India. International Development Research Centre, P.O. Box 8500, Ottawa, Canada, K1G3H9; tel: (1) 613-236-6163; fax: (1) 613) 563- 3858; Cable: RECENTRE; telex: 053-3753; e-mail: idrc@web.apc.org

"Mapping and Visualizing Environmental Data" is the title of a special issue of the International Journal of Geographic Information Systems, Vol.7., No.2, March-April 1993; published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. The issue contains a series of articles which discuss advanced spatial statistics, global geographical databases for modelling, three- dimensional digital imaging of environmental data and the application of artificial neural networks for land-cover classification and mapping. Contact Taylor & Francis, 4 John Street, London WC1N 2ET, UK; tel: (071) 405-2237, fax: (071) 831-2035.

"Geographic Information Systems for Environment and Development" by Otto Gaudenz Simonett, Zurich 1992, ISBN 3 906254 22 4, 183 pp., SFr. 35; Geoprocessing Series, Vol. 22. This research document gives an assessment of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applied for the establishment of sustainable development strategies in Third World countries. It addresses the issue of how the technology should be used to meet broader environmental goals. Institute of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr, 190,8057 Zurich, Switzerland; tel: (41) 1 257 51 31, fax: (41) 1 362 52 57.

"Central Africa: Global Climate Change and Development: Synopsis", 1992, presents the results of studies was prepared by the Biodiversity Support Program (a consortium of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Nature Conservancy, and World Resources Institute), with funding from USAID. It provides an initial baseline of data to guide future collaboration with, and support to, Africans working in this issue. The Synopsis, an overview report, and the technical papers are available from: Biodiversity Support Program/Africa, c/o WWF, 1250 24th St. NW, Washington DC 20037, USA; tel: 202-2934800, fax 2939211.

"Simple Computer Imaging and Mapping", World Bank Technical Paper No. 206, Micha Pazner, Nancy Thies, and Roberto Chavez. A set of techniques for creating digital spatial databases, atlases, and wall maps. The techniques are useful in operational, instructional, and research contexts involving manipulating and communicating spatial information. See address of World Bank Bookstore below.

"Natural Resource and Environmental Information for Decision-making", World Bank, 1992, ISBN: 0-8123-2288-5 Hassan M. Hassan, Charles Hutchinson, editors. Stock no. 12288. 164p.

World Bank Publications are available from the World Bank Bookstore, tel. (202) 473-2941, or to order: World Bank Publications, tel. (908) 225-2165 or P.O. Box 7247- 8619, Philadelphia, PA 19170-8619.

"Ecologically Sensitive Sites in Africa" is a set of six volumes compiled by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) for the World Bank, 1993. This publication makes an inventory of locations and properties of the ecologically sensitive sites in Africa. It also responds to the World Bank concerns to bringing environmental issues into mainstream of lending operations and policy work. It briefly defines the concept of ecologically sensitive area, and presents its conceptual framework for designation and classification. It also examines the development of guidelines on the relationship between various types of Bank projects and ecologically sensitive areas (ESA). Each volume lists the ESA areas by region and specifically by country:

Vol. 1: Occidental and Central Africa: Benin, Cameroon, Central African 
     Republic, Congo, COte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea 
     and Togo. 
Vol. 2: Eastern Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and 
     Uganda. 
Vol. 3: South-Central Africa and Indian Ocean: Angola, Burundi, Comoros, 
     Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles and Zaire. 
Vol. 4: West Africa: Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sao Tome e 
     Principe and Sierra Leone. 
Vol. 5: Sahel: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, 
     Niger and Senegal. 
Vol. 6: Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, 
     Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Copies are available free of charge. Contact: Dr. Walter Lusigi, Sr. Ecologist, AFTES, Room J 3-121, World Bank, 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433; tel: (1) 202-473-4798; fax: (1) 202-473-7916; e- mail: wlusigi@worldbank.org

Journals for Africa: The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has a Sub-Saharan Africa Journal Distribution Program which provides subscriptions to more than 150 journals in the sciences and humanities to some 200 universities in nearly 4 countries, so that many journals reach African institutions that would not otherwise have easy access to current literature. Contact: Dr. Lisbeth A. Levey, Director, Project for African Research Libraries, AAAS Sub-Saharan Africa Journal Distribution Program, 1333 H Street N.W., Washington D.C. 20005, USA; tel: (1) 202-326-6730; Fax (1) 289-4958; Telex 248933 scien ur.

"Introduction a l'etude de la teledetection aerospatiale et de son vocabulaire" by S. Paul, L. Depecker, G. Goillot and M. Lenco; ISBN 2- 11-002544-2. Published by La Documentation Francaise, Paris, 1991, 316 pages. This book provides a thorough description of the remote sensing terminology in the French language. It contains detailed definitions and a glossary. Very useful for researchers involved in remote sensing projects in french-speaking countries. Contact: Professor Serge Paul, Direction des enseignements superieurs, 61-65, rue Dutot, F-75015 Paris, France.

"SIG et Teledetection": is the title of a newsletter published in French by SCOT Conseil, with support from CNES (the French Centre National des Etudes Spatiales). Contact: M. Jean-Claude Cazaux, Directeur de la Publication, SCOT Conseil, Parc Technologique du Canal, 1 rue Hermes, 31526 Ramonville Cedex, France; Phone (33)-16-6139-4600.

MEETINGS:

* EIS Advisory Committee 6th meeting: will hold its 6th meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, November 8-13, 1993. The Committee will review its activities and examine directions and trends in environmental information systems, remote sensing and related issues concerning Sub- Saharan African countries. Representatives and government officials of several African countries, donor agency officials and international institutions will be invited. The meeting will focus on EIS activities in Portuguese- speaking countries. Thanks to the hospitable invitation extended by the Surveyor General of Zimbabwe. Contact: Mr. Koffi Kouakou, EIS Program Secretariat.

PS: The meeting has been postponed to February 21-25, 1994 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

* International Symposium: "Operationalization of Remote Sensing" - April 19-23, 1993, Enschede, The Netherlands: Professor John van Genderen, International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC), a member of the International Advisory Committee has successfully organized the International Symposium on "Operationalization of Remote Sensing" in Enschede, The Netherlands. An impressive number of Remote Sensing specialists and experts from all over the world gathered at ITC. Proceedings are available from ITC in nine volumes. Contact: Lilian van Hengel, ITC, 350 Boulevard 1945, Enschede, The Netherlands; tel: (13) 53-874-366; fax: (31) 53-874-436.

USRCSTSD: United States Office for Outer Space Affairs is organizing a Regional Conference on Space Technology for Sustainable Development in Africa: Dakar, Senegal - 25-29 October 1993. The conference will gather member states of the potential host countries where the Centres for Space and Technology Education will be established. Contact: Adigun Ade Abiodun, Expert on Space Applications, Room S-3260A, United Nations, New York, NY 10017, USA; Phone: (212) 963-7255; fax: (212) 963-4879; telex: 420544.

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EIS STOP PRESS!!

The EIS Program Secretariat has moved to a new office within the World Bank. See new and complete address below.

Koffi Kouakou
EIS Program Secretariat
Environmentally Sustainable Development Division (AFTES)
Room J 3-169, The WORLD BANK, 1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20433, USA; tel. 1-202-473-4332; fax: 1-202-473-7916,
e-mail: kkouakou@worldbank.org

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We are still building the mailing list for the EIS newsletter. We welcome suggestions of names of individuals, government agencies, academics, or non-governmental organizations dealing with African EIS issues for inclusion.

 

Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar

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